Three Hexes Zine #3 - Jan 2nd, 
2020 
Copyright 2020, Michael Shorten, All Rights Reserved.

Not all campaigns are fantasy based and Three Hexes Table of Contents 
isn’t just for fantasy. You can take the idea of starting
with only three options and use it for any genre. This Mega-Sprawl 8 2
issue of the Three Hexes ‘zine proves that. The Plague Lands 3

There are campaign starters here from Fall Gelb Seltsam - Case Yellow Strange 4
post-apocalyptic Earth to a Dyson Sphere to a “what All This Has Happened Before 5
if the Axis powers in WW2 developed super humans
first?”. The Resistance vs the Supers! 6

Babel On 7
Ride along with a German unit suddenly transported
to a fantasy world, jump into political and The Mystery World At Beta Omega 8 8
extraterrestrial intrigue at discovering we were
Wizards and the Windy City 9
colonized 150,000 years ago and see what happens
when the Windy City of Chicago becomes the center Notes and Rules 10
of an interstellar/extra-planar transportation system.

I’ve included random tables, further idea prompts, an

NPC or two and some factions for you to add to these
starters.

MAKE THEM YOUR OWN! Take these starters and

fold, spindle, mutilate them. Come up with your own!
Grab a world mapping program like ​Worldographer
and noodle on what you picture your world (or star
system) to look like!

Your imagination’s the limit. Let ‘er rip!

Art Credits
Game on!
Cover: - Photo by Johannes Daleng on Unsplash -
Michael “Chgowiz” Shorten https://unsplash.com/photos/4G9c9ANhhgs

Atom Bomb - Illustration 37026106 © Lineartestpilot

- ​Dreamstime.com

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Mega-Sprawl 8 
Campaign: ​Mega-sprawl Eight is the largest protected
area of Nuke-Out survivors, supporting many Green
zones of the wealthy, Blue zones of industry and
technology alongside the Gray zones of the less
fortunate, more desperate. The Radzones outside the
protective domes and walls are home to Muties and
monsters, but also are where lostek can be recovered
and fortunes can be found. Discontent among the
lowerclass is growing while the Corps competition is
growing more bloody and spilling out from the
shadowy corners into the streets.
Northwest Bluzone (Homebase) (0101):​ The Bluzone
has seen recent clashes between security forces
protecting the TekBloks and the angry lowerclasses
living in nearby Greybloks. A Corp Exec has put out
the word for mercenaries to help him find his
pure-blood daughter who may have been kidnapped
by the Cult of the White Angel. The ThreeZee9 ‘Net
shop has become the place to be seen and found by
Recruiters looking for hired muscle to perform jobs
for shadowy Corps.
(Hex scale is a Megasprawl block - which measures 15
miles.)
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IndustrySektor NW8.2 (0201):​ Several slide (cheap
‘Net connect devices) factories near the Wall close
the Radzone have recently been attacked by unseen
assailants; Mutian blood was detected nearby. An
investigative reporter is seeking help to find a secret
R&D center for UltraViolet’s AI products, ignoring
warnings that she’ll disappear like previous
investigators. A recent accident has left a former
armament factory open to possible covert
intelligence operations by competing Corps, making
the site into a potential fire-fight zone.
Fort Smithson (0300):​ A heavily reinforced outpost
of The Army, a subsidiary of FedGovInc is guarded by
modern and antique robots. A shadowy arms dealer
is offering top credit to those who want to try and
steal the heavy weapons stored within its armories.
The Commander has launched raids into RadzoneD2
to keep the mutians at bay, while attempting to keep
this activity secret from public knowledge.
Radzone Delta Two (0200)​: Mutians make their home
in a ring around the blasted, irradiated remains of a
nuke-crater, led by an enigmatic “White Angel” who
is fomenting attacks against Mega8. Scrappers and
desperate lowerclassers comb through the ruins,
looking for valuable salvage. One scrapper in
particular is seeking investors by tempting them with
strange technologies that he’s found; it’s not certain
if these come from the mutians or somewhere else
unknown.
White Angel (NPC):​ The extraterrestrial Xygwanya,
survivor of a scout craft destroyed in the Nuke-out,
has formed a cult to create chaos and unrest. It
seeks to repair its craft and return to its
homeworld with news of a vulnerable planet. It is
highly resistant to physical attacks, extremely
strong and resembles humanity’s worst nightmares
about ETs. If it cannot return home, it will seek to
establish a powerbase to survive with (and feed
upon).
The Plague Lands 
Campaign: ​Mankind struggles to survive a new Dark
Ages of scavenging following the
Russia-Sino-American war. Mutated horrors display
incredible powers from the effects of biological and
nuclear weapons on Earth’s biosphere. The remnants
of ​homo sapiens​ compete with the new species that
have arisen in the wastelands.
Ace’s Crossing (Homebase) (0101):​ The Crossing is a
ramshackle collection of shacks and buildings
constructed amid the rubble of a destroyed town.
Traders come to hawk scavenged goods and gossip,
while refugees take shelter on their way to the
promised land of "Somewhere Else." Five days ago,
the town militia beat back strange zombies from the
military base to the northeast. The recovered
weapons and armor are fetching high prices among
those who have enough to trade for them.
(Hex scale is 24 miles)
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The City (0002):​ The Bugz scuttle among the rubble
of the city, making it extremely difficult for
scavengers to get to the lost (and lucrative) tools,
weapons and equipment left behind. The dangers of a
decaying urban area make an expedition a calculus in
how many men lost, how far one can get into the
silent, vegetation-covered ruins and if enough
abandoned technology can be found for a high
enough payoff. The last two scavenging parties have
never returned, leaving many to think the insects are
too numerous or, more ominously, too organized.
The Radzone (0100):​ The aftermath of a nuclear
detonation has twisted the grasslands into an
irradiated breeding ground for the dreaded Trogs,
mutated progeny of the humans caught in the blast.
The Trogs cultivate strange grains (“Glow Seeds”) that
have unpredictable, but often useful properties;
guarding them as if they were religious artifacts. The
market for the grains, which do not grow outside the
Radzone, is high, but so is the cost of retrieving them.
Fort Fens (0201):​ The Fens, swamplands irradiated by
water from the Radzone, brim with mutated plants
and zombies. The twisted humans who live here are
known as elves and they have taken over the military
fort within the swamp. They are outfitting zombies
with armor and weapons for an unknown purpose. As
a result, scavenging of the fort has become a very
dangerous prospect.
Glow Seed Effects ​(Roll 2d6: 1 for column, 1 for row)
1-3 4-6
1 Hardened Skin ESP (limited range)
2 Regeneration Periodic Madness
3 Slow Decay Animal Behavior
4 Poisoned Alignment Change
5 Mutation of limbs Loss of Knowledge
6 Polymorph Knowledge Gain
Fall Gelb Seltsam - Case 
Yellow Strange 
Campaign: ​In May 1940, the II Infantry Battalion,
337th Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht 18th
Army., participated in the attack on the Netherlands,
but the entire unit was "lost" in the attack, never
seen again. That’s not the end of the story, though, as
the approximately 1,500 men found themselves not
in the Netherlands, but in a bucolic, medieval setting,
populated by people out of legend and mythical
creatures! The sudden arrival of advanced technology
and confused soldiers has upset the peaceful setting
and it appears that war may be at hand.
Hamlon (Homebase) (0001):​ This village is a
relatively peaceful place, serving as a market and
place of rest for travelers on the Great Road. Today,
however, townsfolk are buzzing about the strange
invaders from the Cursed Castle that have recently
made their presence known with an unexpected,
violent attack! Lord Hestridge has put out a call for
mercenaries and adventurers to form an irregular
militia, while his urgent request for heavier troops
makes its way to the Governor.
Goblintown (0000): ​This city of tree-dwelling goblins
is a crazy patchwork of ramshackle tree houses, crude
structures and rope bridges. Trade occurs
infrequently between Hamlon and Goblintown on the
Great Road; opportunistic goblins also look for
travelers here to waylay. A recent skirmish by a recon
patrol of Wehrmacht and goblins aroused their
bloodlust, with a Goblin Chief being named to lead
retaliatory raids.
Cursed Castle (0100) -​ Oberstleutnant Sauer has
taken over the ruined structure of an abandoned
castle while he sends out his men on patrols to
determine where they are and what has happened.
The castle's crumbling walls are now bristling with
machine guns, mortars and scared German soldiers.
The bodies of several creatures dot the surrounding
fields around the ruins, while patrols nervously search
the countryside for supplies and answers.
Dark Blood Forest (0101) -​ The tall dark trees of the
forest form a thick, hedge-like wall that surrounds a
dimly lit, brooding interior. The trees themselves feed
on creatures foolish enough to sit in place too long.
There is a large, burnt and blasted area in the
direction of the Cursed Castle; a wrecked armored
vehicle lies in its center, serving as the only remnant
of a squad that was destroyed by the vengeful woods.

Modern Weapons in OERPG -​ [See ​pg 10​ for rules]

Weapon Effect Ammo Max Reloads
Pistol (1d6) 1-2 targets 4 shots 5 reloads
Machine Pistol 1-4 targets 2 bursts 4 reloads
(1d6)
SMG (1d6) 2-5 targets 3 bursts 4 reloads
Rifle (1d6) 1-2 targets 8 shots 5 reloads
Med MG (1d6) 1-6 targets 9 bursts 3 reloads
Hand Grenade 1” area - 6 grenades
(5d4)
80mm Mortar 1.5” area - 18 rounds

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 (Hex scale is 24 miles.)
All This Has Happened Before 
Campaign: ​The discoveries made at "The Site" which
indicate our ancestors were advanced technologically
and came from the stars have rocked our world!
Scholars, government agents, military leaders
religious celebrities and their followers are gathering
there, but the enigmatic artifacts and structures
remain silent regarding their story or purpose. In all
the hubbub, the farmer's story of a strange light and
alien figures has gone unheard.
New Corvin (Homebase) (0101):​ The narrow streets
surrounding the Halls of Learning are choked with
tourists, soldiers, mercenaries, merchants, scholars
and rulers alike, all talking, arguing, planning about
The Site. The grounds outside the small university city
are overrun by tent cities, traders’ tents and convoys
of military forces. The largest vault at the local bank
has been set up as the storage site for artifacts from
The Site but a quiet black market of stolen relics has
sprung up in the tavern district, both guarded very
carefully!
(Hex scale is 24 miles)  destination coordinates to compute the jump. It
Page 5
(10d6)
Panzerfaust (10d8) 1” area - -
"The Site" (0201):​ The grasslands and three hills are
surrounded by temporary fencing, stone faced guards
and heavily armed mercenaries. Hastily constructed
tents and buildings surround the excavations that
have revealed structures, remains of of metallic
vehicles and artifacts that seem to possess a power
and intelligence all their own. Several small dig sites
have been started by non-university groups well away
from the official site, zealously guarded and hotly
debated among the competing groups.
“Indigo” Secret Site (0202): ​This site in the woods is
controlled by the military forces of the nation in
cooperation with a scholar secretly in their pay. The
structures uncovered from the earth resemble living
quarters and some sort of machine that can
communicate! The military is guarding this area
zealously while the scholar attempts to translate the
speech and text that the machine is producing.
The Guardians (0301): ​ Farmer Widwood is desperate
for someone to believe his story about a strange
silvery object landing in the middle of his fields with
silver figures leaving and entering. He’s witnessed the
return of The Guardians, called by the activation of
the artifacts and their concern about the misuse of
them. They are uncertain how to proceed, reluctant
to retrieve the artifacts or make their presence
known, but the military from Indigo Site have heard
the stories and are coming to investigate.
Jump Drive / Controller (Artifact):​ Self contained
unit that creates a small fold in space. It contains a
limited-capability AI that accepts a six-part
has a few functions beyond these calculations if
the proper queries are made. Interface is by a
standard Confederation keyboard power
 connections. Neither of these exist on this world,
but it may be possible to reverse engineer the
requirements to hack a suitable replacement.
There is a Guardians virus present in its operating
system.

The Resistance vs the Supers! 

Campaign: ​World War 2 ended abruptly in 1944
when the Axis superhumans ("supers"): Der
Übermensch, La Donna Meraviglia and Sugoi Samurai,
were introduced in attacks on the Allies. Today, in
1964, the world is ruled by the Triumvirate Powers;
all other nations are policed by the supers. In the
former United States, a resistance group ("Sons of
Liberty") fight against the Axis Occupying Forces
(AOF) while dissident scientists work in secret to
counteract the supers’ powers and recapture their
freedom.
Lakeside (Homebase) (0101): ​This Great Lakes city is
watched over by Übermensch Drei and a garrison of
AOF soldiers. It will host an upcoming meeting
between German, Italian and Japanese high level
officials. The Sons plan on kidnapping the officials’
secretaries and deputies to gain information on
rumored plans to build slave-labor factories that will
further pollute the already misused lands and waters
surrounding the city.
Town of Cityville (0202): ​This sleepy suburb is the
center of activity for Sons resistance cell, consisting of
people who've taken experimental drugs to give them
some sort of extra-normal abilities. They hide in plain
sight as ex-veterans of the war; using serums to hold
off the effects of aging. Their current mission is to
guard rebel scientists who await the arrival of stolen
alien artifacts from the Dig Site.
Training Grounds (0203):​ Candidate supers are here,
be trained by Drei as he polices Lakeside and the
eastern Great Lakes. During recent training, he was
injured by a young woman, whose touch caused him
great pain! This has not gone unnoticed by both the
Sons, who want to recruit the mutant, and the Office
of Science and Health who intend on studying her!
Dig Site (0302): ​An archaeological excavation,
disguised by the Sons as a construction project, has
discovered four flying vehicles that date to 150,000
years ago. They contain advanced medical equipment
that have strange effects on humans! One test
subject is already exhibiting signs of super strength
and the ability to phase through solids! The Sons are
taking the objects to Cityville, but a collaborator has
tipped off the police and they're planning an
ambush!​

Der Übermensch​ - Marvel Super Heroes stats

Origin​: Altered Human
Fighting​: Remarkable/30
Agility​: Excellent/20
Strength​: Remarkable/30
Endurance​: Incredible/40
Reason​: Good/10
Psyche​: Typical/6
Health​: 120
Karma​: 0
Resources​: Monstrous
Popularity​: Poor
Magic​: Typical

Page 6

(Hex scale is 24 miles)
Babel On 
Campaign: ​Millennia ago, humans fled a dying Earth
and found themselves on the world of
Haines-Thoreau VI. Mankind has survived since that
time, adapting to their minority status among the
many races of the world and its violent climate.
Mankind’s survival is now in jeopardy as titanic
God-Wraths are reawakening, intent on their purpose
of "punishing" those they deem unclean.
Sitha (Homebase) (0100):​ Many races come to the
floating city, home to the amphibious and tentacled
Talus, to trade for the strange flora and fauna that
the Talus retrieve from the deeps. The city is
considering moving away from its current location, as
the two nearby God-Wraths are of great concern! The
humans who live under the gill quarters are looking
for escorts to take them to the camps in the
Knife-edge Hills.
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Intuition​: Typical/6
Powers:​ Magnetic Energy Control , Body Alterations
- Defensive - Regeneration
Talents:​ First Aid, Law
Created by the Axis using G-rays and radiation, Hans
Scheller is the first super. His beliefs, talents, combat
abilities combined with being virtually unshootable
make him a perfect fascist soldier and policeman.
Iyx Tunnels (0001): ​The Iyx are a race of mud
creatures, seen by others as meek and mild patsies to
be taken advantage of. They forget that the
God-Wrath of the Iyx is one of the most powerful, it is
the God of death and destruction. The Iyx do not
forget and they have begun their rituals of suffering
around the slowly awakening 100 foot tall stone
statue, seeking to spark its wrath and wreak
vengeance!
Knife-edge Hills (0101):​ Steep canyons and ridges
scar these dry hills, said to be wounds caused by the
God-Wraths in previous battles with each other and a
previously punished race. A large tribe of humans
eke out a living here among the "goblins" - small,
white, crafty creatures that regularly raid the
humans. The human leaders here want to fight the
races and God-Wraths, convinced they have support
from the wierdlings, mutant humans that have
strange powers.
Uma Hive (0201):​ The Uma, an insect race, have
raised a city-hive surrounding the God-wrath of
Xntvq, a seventy five foot tall iron construct of the
God/Goddess of smiths and craftsmen. The Uma

(Hex scale is 24 miles)
The Mystery World At Beta 
Omega 8 
Campaign:​ Probes to Beta Omega 8 discovered that
the massive gravity anomaly was a Dyson Sphere,
whose interior is a haphazard set of uninhabited
biospheres. An Imperial Science expedition has
arrived to explore the sphere and learn more about it
and those that built it. Its vast opportunities have
electrified the Empire; with its nobles engaged in
plots of political intrigue and a "gold-rush" attitude
towards the sphere and its secrets.
ESS Scott (Homebase) (0102): ​The Expedition’s
capital ship is docked to a large access hatch to the
sphere, crewed by six guild companies and many
independents. Captain-General Maximo wishes to
retain control of the expedition by finding valuable
technology. Baron Nascimento believes a great evil
lives within the sphere, based on his magi-astrologer
and conspires against Captain Maximo at every turn.
Page 8
celebrate the God with a market thrice every orbit of
the planet. This is the only time the Uma allow
visitors in, as they are otherwise extremely
xenophobic, enforcing their territory zealously.
Other races of Haines-Thoreau VI
Vad ​- Intelligent invertebrate with large multiple
mouths and eyes, six brains.
It'uds​ - Psychic, multi-limbed mammal with fluid
gender.
Guzeok​ - Skittish smooth skinned mammal with
echolocation.
Thrin​ - Trusting four winged, telepathic large bird
species.
Saiheas​ - Violent translucent-skinned aquarian
mammal.
Rannoit​ - Adventurous burrowing mammal with two
heads, reproduces by fission
Dhenzeds ​- Small lizards with temporary invisibility,
six legged and prehensile tongues.
Base Camp 003 (0302):​ The camp is in the center of a
great forest area, near a strange small ruin that is
surrounded by quiescent armored mechanicals and
enigmatic gardening drones. The camp is abandoned,
the result of a massacre of the exploration team. The
Steel Guild is offering great rewards for any who will
recover the dead and find the cause!
The City (0200): ​This area is a collection of hundreds
of seemingly impenetrable buildings. Robots and
flying drones move about from building to building,
somehow entering within to perform unknown tasks.
They also tend to fountains of strangely colored
liquids and floating plant-life. Psi-talented explorers
who have entered The City have vivid nightmares of
evil beings contained within the buildings.
The Farm (0004):​ Strange large mushrooms are
growing here whose gills shed huge spores that seem
to contain some sort of living creature. Huge
tentacled robots collect the spores and take them to
a central building that admits only the robots inside.

(Hex scale is 100 miles)
Wizards and the Windy City 
Campaign:​ Welcome to post-Event Earth of 2035, a
world of space travel, medieval castles, aliens,
travelers from other planes of existence, magic and
nano-technology. The Portals that appeared over
Lake Michigan have made the Great Lakes region the
center of interstellar and interplanar trade, centered
on the city of Chicago. No matter what your gig is: a
corp wageslave, a GDI (Gods-Damned Independent),
a cultist or thousands of other jobs, you're trying to
scrape together dollars, renminbi or gold coins to get
by.
Chicago (Homebase) (0101): ​The population of the
Windy City deals with the influx of alien beings with
doing what they do best - try to make a buck off the
new tourists and business opportunities. There are
many avenues of adventure: in the Underworld that’s
taken over the subway tunnels, taking a Portal to
some strange planar destination or just dealing with
the latest flash-slaadi-mob who are raising hell for
lulz in Grant Park.
Page 9
The robots resist efforts to take the spores or enter
the building, but the Verdant Guild is willing to pay a
high price for the recovery of a spore or information
on what is inside the building.
Additional Hex Ideas
0001 - Huts that randomly teleport to 0205 and 0503
0105 - Empty metal tree houses with connecting
bridges
0201 - Mountains with walking tripods that harvest
giant bird eggs.
0300 - Swamp garbage dump with attending robots
0400 - Underwater city
0501 - Central mile high tower in middle of jungle
Ho-chunk Nation (0001): ​ The Event was
accompanied by “The Shift”; ripples in time and space
which changed history, such as the Ho-chunk Nation
defeating the US Army and establishing a nation.
Today, their lands are filled with traditional and
modern dwellings and factories producing valuable
Ho-chu-tech. The Nation guards their borders
zealously, admitting only the rich, the powerful or the
(un)lucky with something that the Ho-chunk want​.
Orcanosha (0100): ​The town formerly known as
Kenosha became a population and cultural center for
the Orc Tribe of Wisconsin after The Event. They are
constantly at battle with those who want to make the
Orcs leave, usually being ejected by a united and
determined tribal defense. An Orc shaman calling
himself ‘Caesar’ claims to have an artifact from
another plane that will bring prosperity to his people.
The Portals (0201):​ Huge columns of rock jut out of
the waters of Lake Michigan, topped by “The Portals”:
glowing areas which allow travel to other dimensions

(Hex scale is 24 miles)
Notes and Rules 
Fall Gelb Seltsam notes:​ This campaign world is
based on the scenario "Sturmgeschütz and Sorcery",
an article from Strategic Review Vol 1, No. 5 -
published by TSR and a predecessor to the Dragon
magazine. This scenario recounted a battle between a
company of Wehrmacht soldiers and evil chaos
creatures from the lands of fantasy. I often wondered
what a campaign would be like if a much larger force
had "crossed over..."
This campaign provides some great possibilities!
What if the players want to be the Germans? What if
part of the group wants to be the "Heroes" and half
the Germans? You have some great avenues to
explore.
Modern Weapons in OERPG​ (Original Edition of Role
Playing Game): The same article referenced above
gave a few hints on how to use weapons in the
Original game, although the article implied that the
Page 10
and planes of existence. The US and Canadian
governments have not been successful in limiting
access or closing the portals, despite heavy
surveillance and policing. With the help of unknown
forces that ripple around them, altering reality, it is
easy for determined travelers to slip by!
Factions
SpaceZ ​- Seeking to acquire Faster-Than-Light
technology from visitors. Willing to experiment in
dangerous fashion!
TransTech ​- Developing “smart” nanotech that can
reprogram a subject’s brain. Responsible for the
‘zombification’ of an entire shift of precinct police.
Jingshen Co ​- creating spirit-tech in cooperation with
HoChunk Nation, but seeking outside contractors to
steal Ho-Chu-Tech secrets.
Ame ​- Purveyors of elven magi-tech and uPhone
counterspelling apps. Denying accusations of
mind-control tech. Witnesses have disappeared!
- Mortars are not used in indoors or underground.
- For areas of effect, all targets w/in the area are
automatically affected. They may make a saving
throw to take half damage. Roll to hit versus no
armor, dex bonuses to defender may apply.
All This Has Happened Before notes: ​The 2003
re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica remains a
touchstone in my life. For five years, my wife and I sat
down in front of the DVR to watch the latest episode
and see how badly the 49,000 survivors were screwed
for that week. I personally LOVED the ending, but for
almost a decade, I've had the "155,000 years later"
story in my head and I needed to start writing that
story... and this campaign starter is a result. You
might also recognize one element if you're a
Dragonriders of Pern series fan.
 modern weapon rules came from a game called Whether you run this as fantasy, as modern sci-fi, as
TRACTICS. something else, I think the classic story of "our
ancestors came from elsewhere" is awesome. After
For modern weapons with the Original Edition, I use a all, all this has happened before, and will happen
missile attack with the following rules: again. (And if you don't believe me, read up on ​the
origin story of the famous Empire of Petal
- Some weapons have "# shots/bursts", but
Throne/Tekumel campaign​!)
shots/bursts don’t equal # of bullets they actually fire
downrange. They can affect multiple targets (within
10' of each other) doing damage on each target that
is hit. If less than max number of targets is available,
you only roll for those available. One they’ve used up
all shots/bursts, they must reload.

- Reloading takes a round.

- Mortars are fired by 3 person teams. A two person

team can fire a mortar, but it requires 3 rounds to
load/aim and the "to hit" is at -2.

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